


Until Next Time

by TheSopherfly



Category: Mass Effect Trilogy
Genre: F/M, Implied Future Character Death, Mass Effect 3 spoilers, Shepard says goodbye, brief mentions of sex, shega
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-18
Updated: 2017-08-18
Packaged: 2018-12-16 22:32:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,189
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11838351
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheSopherfly/pseuds/TheSopherfly
Summary: “Vega.”She smiles, but it’s not enough to penetrate the hurt expression on his face. Those wide brown eyes beg her not to go. ‘Take me with you,’ they say. ‘Don’t leave me behind. Please.’“Vega,” she says again, softer this time. “Don’t look at me like that.”~Shepard and Vega say goodbye.





	Until Next Time

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by a prompt from writing-challenges-and-prompts on tumblr, "bury me with my guns on."
> 
> Will be writing a ficlet a day for the next week, inspired by prompts like this.

 

 

This is the part Shepard’s been dreading most.

It's not the end she's afraid of. That, she's known about for a long time. She's ready for it. She's already died once - doing it again should be easy. Maybe even a relief. 

Being alive when you shouldn't be has a way of seriously changing a person's perspective.

Getting to the conduit will be an all-out sprint, with enemies on every side. Shepard has already chosen her squad and given orders. Liara will use her biotics to clear a path, and Garrus will keep the Husks off their tails. The rest of the team will stay behind.

Shepard reminds herself that if she wants, she can leave without saying goodbye. She's not obligated to make speeches or tie up loose ends. They had all gotten along without her before Lazarus. And maybe they'll understand that all of these goodbyes are harder than facing the Reapers alone. 

No. She can't do that. She's Commander Shepard - she's no coward. Besides, she owes it to them. They’re her crew. They’re her only friends in this lonely galaxy. They deserve to know how much they mean to her. 

Grunt doesn’t say much. Neither does Wrex. Tali cries, but tries to hide it. Ashley tells her to kick some ass, and Shepard has never been more thankful for her friend’s irreverence. EDI thanks Shepard for making her human, or as close to human as an AI can get. Liara and Garrus, ever her bastions of strength, promise to be with her until the end. 

And now, the hardest part. James Vega. 

Shepard hadn't planned for anything to happen. They'd danced on the Citadel, yes, and they'd flirted like crazy, to the point where she'd questioned whether or not it was still appropriate. But Shepard had never acted on it, and neither had he. They'd been content to orbit around each other, getting close, but never quite meeting.

Something about the night before a battle, though - it makes you bolder. Or maybe more desperate. When you’re not sure you’ll live to see the next sunrise, you stop caring about what’s wise and just give into what you want, what you  _ need _ . What you can’t live without. 

James doesn’t half-ass anything. He kisses like the rest of the world doesn’t exist. He makes love like a man with nothing left to lose. There’s no embarrassment; in fact, Shepard’s pretty sure there’s not a self-conscious bone in James Vega’s body. 

It had been more than just sex, though. More than just physical comfort to calm a restless mind. James had given her  _ everything _ . Underneath all those muscles, all that exterior strength, there had been such softness, an incredible depth of emotion that she couldn't have imagined. 

It had shaken her to her core. She hadn’t expected it. He’d been vocal and attentive and adoring, but more than that, he'd been so generous. He'd handed her his heart and thanked her for it all in the same breath. He'd cherished her, treated her like something rare and beautiful. And she’d repaid him by grounding him from the mission. 

She doesn’t regret it. James Vega is a distraction she can’t afford. Not when they’re so close to the end.

Looking at him now, just a few yards off, she wishes they’d had more time. But maybe that would’ve cheapened it. Maybe those few small moments they’d shared had been enough. She lets out a sigh. No use putting it off any longer. She crosses slowly toward him, her boots leaving footprints in the soot and ash as she goes.

“Vega.” 

She smiles, but it’s not enough to penetrate the hurt expression on his face. Those wide brown eyes beg her not to go. ‘ _ Take me with you _ ,’ they say. ‘ _ Don’t leave me behind. Please _ .’

“Vega,” she says again, softer this time. “Don’t look at me like that.”

He pulls his hands behind his back, lowering his head and falling into a parade rest.

“Sorry, Lola. Just… want to make sure you’re covered.”

“I am. I’ll have Garrus on my six.” James still hasn’t learned to keep his emotions in check. Jealousy flashes undisguised across his face, and Shepard raises her eyebrows. “Lieutenant. You have your orders. No matter what you say, they aren’t going to change.”

It’s more gentle than he deserves. She’s letting her feelings get the better of her, cutting him slack where she shouldn’t. Goddess help her, she’s going soft. 

“Yes, ma’am.” 

He’s trying hard, but it’s not believable. It’s written into the lines of his face. He’s in love with her. And she’s probably in love with him, too.

Shepard brings one hand up to rest on his cheek, not willing to leave it there. She doesn’t want to break his heart. That can’t be the last thing she does before running headlong toward the end of the world. 

“James. Do you know how many men I’ve been with since I became a Commander?”

“How many?” he asks, his voice low and hesitant, as if he’s not sure he wants to know the answer. 

“Just one.”

She doesn’t let him respond. Her hand slides to the back of his neck, drawing him down until their lips meet. It takes him no time at all to pull her closer, his mouth hot against hers. He’s so eager, his arms tight around her waist, the force of his lips pressing her back - and goddess, his tongue in her mouth has got to be the most incredible feeling in the galaxy. He’s so good at this dance, advancing and retreating in equal parts. It makes Shepard regret having to leave.

Soon, too soon, Shepard has to come up for air. James looks at her, his eyes dark, his chest heaving. He doesn’t quite smile, but it’s a close thing. His forehead touches hers, just briefly, and she closes her eyes, allowing herself to enjoy the moment before it breaks.

“Okay, Lola. I can take a hint. You have to do this one on your own.” The growl of his voice makes her blink, opening her eyes. He takes a step back, pulling his hands away and giving her a once-over. “Just do me a favor and give ’em hell, okay?”

“I will. I promise.” She kisses him one last time, softly, then gives him a salute. “Until next time, Lieutenant.”

“Commander,” he replies with a salute of his own. His eyes are bright and alive like he really believes there might be a next time. She stares at him, drinking him in, imagining what he might look like at the end of the war. What he might be like, when all this is over. Older and wiser, yes. Probably more handsome, too. 

“That N7 is going to look good on you.”

Shepard doesn't turn away; instead, she walks slowly backward, not taking her eyes off him even as she moves in the opposite direction. 

“Oh, and Vega?” Her voice is light, mimicking the banter James is so famous for. “If I die, bury me with my guns on.”

_ Finally _ , a smile from that big, handsome mouth.

“You got it, Lola.”

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! More ficlets (for various fandoms) to come. See sopherfly.tumblr.com for updates on my unfinished fics and other things in the works.


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